ok for the last week or so i have not bought hot dogs
but didnt realize that is was the problem???
last couple of days i having been trying to figure out how to post and then today after lunch i figure it out but realized i still need information and help

my son is almost 3 feb 17, he used to be so great at eating everything except of course vegetable, but veggies he used to eat was corn , peas and that was it. loves fruit, and any kind of meat.

nope he wont eat hardly anything , he is on this granola bar trip, everyday that all he eats beside some fruit roll ups,
for the last week or so i have been fighting with him over dinner i dont get to cranky about all the munching durning the day but at dinner it time to eat a balance meal which he always did, and he always has ate a real great breakfast eggs sausage, fruit , grits in the morning. but like i said for the last week or soo we have been so much on the run cuz im expecting a baby soon that i have had to stop by fast food places for breakfast wont eat so by the time we get home and drop hubby off its about 11 or so so i just let him munch . all i hear is granola bars granola bars ahhhhhhh.

my question is do kids all of sudden get in to just eating one thing or two things??? and what do you do i know it can be healthy, and i worry about it not eating like he used to ???
and fighting with , dear goodness that is a battle i gave up last nite then i went to the grocery store and thought i have not bought hot dogs in a while and boy he ate three whole hot dogs, ate like he hasnt ate in a week what the the heck....
any advice or anything would help

Toddlers! DS drives me nuts. He used to be a much better eater, although would still want to eat the same thing day after day after day. His favorites are spagettios, noodles (plain), Peanut Butter & Honey. He used to LOVE mac & cheese, hot dogs, beef stew, chicken ala king, casserole. Now he won't even try things. It's "icky". And what drives me even MORE nuts is when he'll specifically ask for something and when he gets to the table refuses to eat 'cuz he doesn't WANT that.

He is a snacker. Loves peanuts and sunflower nuts.

I'm hoping it's a toddler phase. A dietician has reviewed what he eats and he does get a fairly balanced diet with veggies, fruits, fats... I just wish he'd eat what we eat. In fact the dietician has suggested that we stop feeding him whatever he wants and make him eat whatever we're eating, but I'm not ready to go there. I think he's probably stubborn enough to NOT eat. Plus I remember being his age and being forced to sit at the table until I ate ONE green bean. I won! There was no way I was going to try it.. Today I love green beans but back there. Nope!

My mantra from day one is "meal times are happy times", with a stepford wife sorta smile. Last thing we want to do is make it a power struggle. Battle of the food. And maybe we shouldn't fix him something other than what we're having, but I know he's as stubborn as I was at that age and he'd just flat out refuse to eat. And if he doesn't do all that great at meal times, I make sure to offer him a snack after bathtime and before bed.

If a child is healthy, he/she will eat when they get hungry. It is up to the parents to have only good nutritious foods available at meal times and a healthy snack planned. Do not allow the child to munch all the time on just what he/she wants. He/she is too young to know what is best for him/her.

It will be hard on the parent to see their child not eating, but the child will come around when his tummy gets hungry (may take a few days). Yes, there will be fussing and fretting, so what, he will eventually eat what is made available.

Soon he/she will be eating same foods as the family with smiles. Making a battle at mealtime is not the way to go. If he/she does not want to eat, let them get down and go their merry way until next meal or scheduled snack time. Serve what you know he needs and not what he wants. Giving in is the way to lose the battle and the child will grow up not knowing what is best for their body. Then will come the days of teenage extreme dieting, etc. that is not healthy. Creating good eating habits is best in early years.

I must concur with Misty800. If you are very concerned that your child is not eating enough of a variety of foods to have a balanced diet, I would advise you to say "No more granola bars" for a little while. He can have anything but granola bars, and be sure to stress that it's not 'goodbye' to granola bars forever, but just long enough so he'll eat something different. He might think he'll be all smug by just not eating, but one of the hardest forces of the human body to overlook in oneself is hunger. When his belly is growling for food, he'll swallow his toddler pride and ask for food that doesn't consist of crunchy bits of sweet food fused into a bar shape.

Don't worry...he won't starve to death. Just like how cats won't remain stuck up in trees forever, your son won't go hungry. When he gets it through his little kiddy head that granola bars are no longer on the menu, he'll start thinking what you're eating looks awfully good.

i'm sorry, I'm admitting to not reading all of the responses before i post....

Maybe I should have tried harder...but I never fought too much with my kids when they were toddlers about eating. I figured they'd eat when they were hungry..and I always tried to give them a variety....and just kept the mulitvitamins around to try to make sure they got all their daily nutrients!

We have to pick and choose our battles!

I have 6 kids...between 18 and 4... the oldest LOVES fruits and vegetables now... everyone else will eat their vegetables now, some like them less than others, and prefer certain things, but they'll eat them!! Sometimes we get caught up in the moment...but in the big picture, they'll come around!!

Something my brother and his wife do with my toddler neice and nephews..... they serve the salad or veggies FIRST and alone.... this works great on the baby (18 mos) who LOOOVES meat, because he'll think that's all that's being served, and will eat some while he's hungriest... then she serves them the rest of the meal. I thought that was a really good idea!!